Thud!
Tenya stopped in front of a giant tree.
If the information in the scroll was correct, Orochimaru's laboratory should be beneath this tree.
Indeed, it wasn't long before the scenery before him changed.
A rectangular entrance suddenly appeared at the base of the once intact tree.
The dark entrance led deep into the unknown.
Faintly, Tenya could hear the continuous sound of footsteps.
Tap, tap, tap...
The footsteps grew louder.
Soon, they reached the entrance.
"You're here!"
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Who else could it be but Orochimaru?
"Follow me!"
Orochimaru cast a glance at Tenya and simply uttered these words before turning around and stepping back into the darkness.
Tenya didn't mind and followed closely behind.
He wondered what business Orochimaru had with him this time.
They hadn't walked far before stopping in front of a stone door.
"Go inside."
With those words, a burst of white smoke appeared.
Orochimaru, who had been standing beside Tenya, vanished in an instant.
A shadow clone?
Tenya's eyes narrowed slightly.
But he didn't linger, pushing open the stone door and walking in directly.
The fact that Orochimaru had sent a shadow clone to greet him showed that he valued Tenya as his direct subordinate.
Entering the stone room, Tenya was greeted by the sight of an operating table with a somewhat familiar corpse on it.
"That's…"
Indeed, it was the body of Kisame Hoshigaki!
He didn't expect Kisame's body to end up in Orochimaru's hands and become one of his experimental subjects.
Seeing Tenya enter, Orochimaru soon stopped what he was doing.
"Tenya-kun, you've arrived!"
Removing his gloves and mask, Orochimaru turned to Tenya, a slight smile on his face.
"This corpse is a rare experimental material. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have obtained such an excellent subject."
Orochimaru's tone shifted slightly, "I have something to ask of you."
"Orochimaru-sama, there's no need for such formality. As your direct subordinate, just give me your orders. If I can accomplish it, I won't decline!"
Tenya adopted a respectful stance and responded calmly.
"I heard you're going on a mission to the Land of Snow. I have a task for you," Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged, "I want you to help me collect the bodies of ninjas with special kekkei genkai. Here's a list of names. If you get the chance, bring some of them back for me."
Saying this, Orochimaru handed a scroll to Tenya.
Accepting the scroll, Tenya unrolled it and saw that he recognized many of the names listed.
Among them were even the Kage of other villages.
In essence, the scroll covered nearly every known kekkei genkai holder in the shinobi world.
Knowing so many kekkei genkai holders required an extensive intelligence network.
Tenya wondered who compiled this list.
Could it be Danzo?
The name flashed in Tenya's mind.
Currently, Orochimaru hadn't yet left Konoha and hadn't established his own intelligence network.
It seemed likely that this list came from Danzo.
Danzo was in charge of Konoha's intelligence operations.
Without showing any reaction, Tenya put away the scroll and asked, "Orochimaru-sama, is there a time limit for this task?"
"No!" Orochimaru shook his head and, after a moment of consideration, added, "Consider this a long-term mission. As long as you can bring back bodies of kekkei genkai holders, I'll reward you with any sword technique you desire!"
Tenya's eyes sparkled slightly.
It seemed he would be busy in the future.
Soon, the Third Shinobi War would break out, and many ninjas from various villages would head to the battlefield.
Finding kekkei genkai holders wouldn't be too difficult then.
This extra task from Orochimaru could wait.
When the war started, he could fulfill this task then.
Just as he was about to leave, a thought struck Tenya, and he asked Orochimaru, "Orochimaru-sama, do you have the technique 'Super Beast Imitating Drawing'?"
"Oh?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, curious, "Are you interested in this technique?"
"A bit," Tenya nodded.
"I do have it," Orochimaru looked at Tenya meaningfully, "But it's not a high-level technique, barely B-rank, and it has significant drawbacks. It won't be very useful to you, mainly as support."
"I don't mind. It's the support aspect that I value," Tenya continued, "Learning this technique would make traveling easier."
"May I exchange something for this technique, Orochimaru-sama?"
After finishing, Tenya looked expectantly at Orochimaru.
"Oh?" Orochimaru showed a look of interest and asked, "What do you want to exchange for it?"
"I have this!" Tenya pulled out a scroll, explaining, "This scroll contains a new sword technique I developed. It combines elements of the clone technique, called 'Secret Sword: Bubble Phantom.' It has a similar effect to the Shadow Clone technique but consumes much less chakra."
"Hmm? Such a technique?"
Orochimaru's eyes sparkled with interest. He took the scroll from Tenya and unrolled it, his eyes occasionally flashing with brilliance.
Pop!
A lifelike figure appeared beside Orochimaru.
It was a clone created using the 'Secret Sword: Bubble Phantom.'
This clone wasn't an illusion like a regular clone but felt solid like a shadow clone.
Touching it felt real.
"This sword technique is remarkable!" Orochimaru praised without reservation, "I wouldn't have believed it without trying it myself. Well done, very well done!"
"I'll accept this sword technique!"
Orochimaru, excited, put away the scroll, then flipped his hand, and another scroll appeared in his palm.
"This scroll contains the 'Super Beast Imitating Drawing' technique. Take it."
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama!" Tenya quickly expressed his gratitude.
"No need to thank me. This was a fair trade," Orochimaru shook his head lightly.
After a moment of silence, Tenya asked, "Orochimaru-sama, may I teach this technique to others?"
"The scroll is yours now. You can teach it to whomever you like. It's just a B-rank technique," Orochimaru dismissed the idea casually.
He had collected thousands of techniques. A mere B-rank one didn't concern him.
Relieved by Orochimaru's response, Tenya could now openly teach the technique to Nanase.
Bidding farewell to Orochimaru, Tenya headed straight for the Kurama clan's residence.
At the Konoha gate, two figures had been waiting for quite some time.
"Duy-senpai, has an hour passed?" Kakashi asked, clearly impatient.
"It has," Might Duy replied honestly.
"He said we'd meet at the gate in an hour. It's already time, and Tenya hasn't shown up yet," Kakashi sighed helplessly, "I came on time for once, and he's the one who's late. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come so early!"
Ten minutes later.
Finally, a familiar figure approached.
It was none other than Tenya.
"Tenya, you're late!" Kakashi glanced at him sidelong. "Someone reminded me not to be late, but it seems he forgot about himself."
"I didn't mean to be late this time," Tenya smiled awkwardly, "An old lady got hit by a cart. I took her to the hospital, which made me late."
"Yeah, right!" Kakashi rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him.
"Anyway," Tenya coughed, "Now that everyone's here, let's set off!"